The Passover Part 2 (Exo 12)
5 Your lamb must be without defect, a one-year-old male [i.e., in its first year]; you may take it either from the sheep or from the goats [a (young) goat, too, being regarded as a “lamb”].
Chizkuni
Lamb . . . without defect—AJew could not take an animal that was not in perfect physical condition and be considered as having fulfilled his duty. He might have been tempted to do so in order to escape the wrath of the Egyptian from whom he had purchased it by saying that he had not taken an Egyptian deity, since surely the Egyptians do not worship blemished animals, nor female animals or overage, weak animals, so that he had not committed blasphemy in their eyes. The law spells all this out by writing: “without defect, male, less than a year old.” The Egyptians would raise the price of these animals when aware that the Israelites would use it in the service of their God. The law wanted the Jews to pay the price of such animals, although at that stage, they could have simply taken the animal without paying for it, as they no longer were afraid of their former masters. These had realised that they were not able to save their animals from the Israelites as long as these were still in their city. If they could not save their animals from the Israelites while in their own cities, how much less would they be able to do so outside their own domains.
Rashi’s Commentary
Without defect i. e. without blemish (Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 13:5:1).
One-year-old—The whole of its first year it is termed בֶּן-שָׁנָה, as much as to say, that it was born during this year (it does not mean that it is one year old—in its second year) (cf. Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 13:5:2).
Either from the sheep or from the goats—i. e. either from these (a lamb) or from these (a goat); for a goat, also, is called שֶׂה, as it is said, (Deu 14:4) “a goat (שֶׂה עִזִים)” (Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 13:5:1).
Heb 7:26
For such a high priest was fitting for us, who is holy, blameless, pure, separate from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.
1Pe 1:18-19
knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things, as silver or gold, from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors, but with precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish and without defect the blood of Christ.
6 And it shall be to you for a keeping [i.e., surveillance against blemish] until the fourteenth day of the same month [Israel being given two commands on that night—the blood of the Passover and the blood of circumcision—to make them worthy of redemption], and the entire assembly of the congregation of Israel must slaughter it [whence it is derived that one’s messenger is reckoned as the sender himself] at twilight.
Rashi’s Commentary
And it shall be to you for a keeping (or watching)—This expresses the idea of examining, and the text therefore implies that it requires examination against any blemish during the four days before slaughter (Pesachim 96a). And why did he order that it should be taken from the flock four days before its slaughter, something which he did not command in respect to the Passover sacrifice that was offered by succeeding generations? Rabbi Mathia, the son of Cheresh, said, in answer: Behold, it (Scripture) says, (Eze 16:8) “Then I passed by you (an allusion to God’s passing over the Israelites in Egypt), and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love”—there had arrived the time to fulfil the oath which I had sworn to Abraham to redeem his children. They, however, possessed no divine commands in which to engage in order that they should merit to be redeemed—as it is said (Eze 16:7) “yet you were naked and bare” (i. e. bare of all merit earned through the fulfilment of God’s commands). He therefore gave them two commands, relating respectively to the blood of the Passover and the blood of the circumcision—for that night they circumcised themselves, as it is said (Eze 16:6) “squirming in your blood (בְּדָמַיִךְ is plural)” i. e. in two kinds of blood. Further it states, (Zec 9:11) “As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from a pit in which there was no water.” And yet another reply to this question is, that because they were sunk in idolatry and had no merit gained by the practice of a divine command, He said unto them, (v. 21) “Withdraw”—withdraw your hands from idols; “and take for yourselves” sheep to fulfil a divine command (Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 12:2:1).
Must slaughter it—But did they all slaughter it (one alone did this on behalf of the company formed to eat that particular lamb; cf. Chullin 29b)? But we derive from this statement the legal principle that a man’s agent is as himself (this is derived from the fact that although one alone slaughtered the lamb on behalf of many, Scripture still states: all the Israelites slaughtered the sacrifice) (Kiddushin 41b; Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 12:6:2).
Mat 27:20, 25, 46-50
But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death.
And all the people answered, “His blood be on us, and on our children!”
About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
And some of those who were standing there, when they heard that, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.”
Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with sour wine, and put it on a staff, and offered it to him to drink. But the rest of them said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.”
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up his spirit.
Mar 15:1, 8, 11, 25, 33-34
Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Sanhedrin, immediately held a consultation; and they bound Jesus, led him away and delivered him to Pilate.
The crowd came up and began asking him to do as he had been accustomed to do for them.
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead.
It was the third hour when they crucified him.
When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
Luk 23:1, 18
Then the whole body of them rose and led him before Pilate.
But they cried out all together, saying, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas!”
Act 2:23
This man, handed over by the deliberate plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of wicked men and put him to death.
Act 3:14
But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be released to you.
Act 4:27
For truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
7 And they shall take some of the blood [in the basin] and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they shall eat it [but not on non-dwellings].
Rashi’s Commentary
The . . . doorposts—These are the upright posts, one on this side of the entrance and one on that side.
On . . . the houses where they shall eat it—And not upon the lintel and the doorposts which are in the place used for storing straw or in the stalls of oxen, in which people do not live and eat (cf. Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 12:7:2).
Eph 1:7
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of his grace
Heb 9:13-14, 22
For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our conscience from dead acts to serve the living God?
And according to the law, one may almost say, everything is cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Heb 10:14, 29
For by one sacrifice he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has treated as unholy the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?
Heb 11:28
By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch them.
1Pe 1:2
chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.
8 And they shall eat the meat [but not sinews and bones] that same night, roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs [every bitter herb is called מָרוֹר] shall they eat it [in commemoration of (1:14): “And they made their lives bitter”].
Rashi’s Commentary
The meat—But not the sinews and bones (Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 12:8:1).
With unleavened bread and with bitter herbs—Every bitter herb is called מָרוֹר. He commanded them to eat something bitter as a reminder of: (Exo 1:14) “And they made their lives bitter” (Pesachim 116b).
Mat 16:12
Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Mat 26:26
While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and blessed it, and broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”
Joh 6:52-57
Then the Jews began to argue among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on me will live because of me.
1Co 5:6-8
Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Clean out the old yeast, so that you may be a new batch—as you really are in fact unleavened. For our Passover lamb has been sacrificed, even Christ. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Gal 5:9
A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough.
1Th 1:6
You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in much tribulation with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.
Exo 1:14
And they made their lives bitter with harsh labor in mortar and brick and at all kinds of work in the field. All their labor in which they made them serve was with rigor.
Exo 12:21
Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go [if you have your own] and select for yourselves [i.e., buy, if you do not have your own] animals for your families [a lamb for a family] and slaughter the Passover lamb.
Deu 14:4
These are the animals which you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat,
Eze 16:6-8
“ ‘When I passed by you and saw you squirming in your blood, I said to you while you were in your blood, “Live!” Yes, I said to you while you were in your blood, “Live!” I made you grow like a plant of the field. Then you grew and developed and reached the age for fine ornaments. Your breasts were formed and your hair had grown, yet you were naked and bare.
“ ‘Then I passed by you, and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread my skirt over you and covered your nakedness. I also swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, and you became mine.’ ”
Zec 9:11
As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will set your prisoners free from a pit in which there was no water.
This work, "The Passover Part 2," is a derivative of "The Rashi Chumash" and "The Rashi Ketuvim" by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein used under CC BY 3.0